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1. Field of Invention
The apparatus for separating and measuring mixed fluids, specifically the separation of crude oil and water and the volumetric measurement of each of the mixed fluids using a mechanical portable device primarily involving a separation vessel, an adjustable float within the vessel which allows the fluid of less specific gravity to be released from the top of the separation vessel through an upper pipeline, the heavier specific gravity fluid to be released from the bottom of the separation vessel through a lower pipeline, with fluid volume meters on each of the pipelines to measure the liquid flowing through the respective pipelines, the apparatus presented as a portable unit transferable from one pumping device to another, allowing for an accurate measurement of the fluids being extracted by the pumping devices.
2. Relevant Background of the Field of Invention
Oil wells operate to extract petroleum products from the ground in the general form of a mixture of crude oil and water, including ground water and sometimes water injected into the ground to urge the oil from the confines of the earth or strata. For purposes of regulatory compliance and also to measure the mechanical and economic efficiency of the well outputs, it is desired to measure the output of the component fluids to ascertain the volume of the crude oil extract. Testing of each well site is recommended periodically, sometimes daily.
Problems encountered in the oil fields of the past have been identified as: (1) the accuracy of the measurement of the volume of constituent fluids being extracted from the well and transferred to the tank batteries; (2) the cost of the testing and measuring equipment; (3) the portability of the testing and measuring equipment; and (4) the probability of failure and mismeasurement of prior art measuring equipment and methods.
Current devices and methods do not satisfactorily address these prior problems. In order to accurately ascertain the volumes of the fluid constituents, is common to take a random test from the battery or well by placing a collection device in the field for a period of time, determining the gross total of fluid, measuring each of the separated fluids, and mathematically extrapolating the measured fluid over the time span desired to be measured. Since these tank batteries may contain fluids from several different wells, individual well output is not measured by these testing procedures.
Another procedure involves the random sampling of a well output at a given time and mathematic estimation of this random sample over a time using an averaging method. This is a faulty method of determination of output, since there are numerous variables on a well""s output at any given time, such variables including inconsistent line pressure and constituent fluid concentration variance from one moment to the next. Although valid statistically, this method is inaccurate and highly prone to error.
Yet another method involves the placement of a very costly apparatus which takes periodic measurements of the constituent fluids and plots such volume measurements on a graph over time. This is also inaccurate, as the graphs themselves show a great amount of variance, hence rendering this method highly suspect and still inaccurate.
3. Description of Prior Art
The following United States patents were discovered and are disclosed within this application for utility patent. All relate to devices with fluid separating components of some type or nature. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,852 to Magnasco, a airline separator includes a vessel containing a float wherein a moist air mixture is admitted to the vessel through an inlet in the top. An outlet is also provided in the top of the vessel for air to be passed from the vessel with an outlet provided in the bottom of the vessel for fluids. The float is provided with stems at its top and bottom for closing outlets depending upon the quantity of fluid in the vessel.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,798 to Moore, Jr., a float having a ball-type valve is disclosed in a similar condensate trap in an exhaust gas conduit. These two patents, alone or in combination do not illustrate nor claim the components of the current apparatus, and are distinguishable. Magnasco is a device placed within a pneumatic air line to provide a liquid trap for air flowing through the device, the air being expelled through an upper outlet valve while the liquid components within the air, drop into the interior of the chamber. As the liquid in the chamber accumulates, it causes the float to rise, displacing the lower float rod from its sealed seat, allowing for the expulsion of the liquid through the lower outlet discharge port. The float also has an upper float rod which engages an upper finger member sealing off the upper output valve preventing expulsion of the liquid within the chamber from entering into the air output lines. This device cannot be used to separate liquids efficiently, and is not designed to do so, as the inlet is in the top of the device, wherein the heavier constituent would always be passing through the lighter constituent, thereby re-contaminating the lighter constituent during continuous flow, thereby requiring the components to be introduced into the chamber in small quantities, allowing for separation, draining of the fluids separately, and then adding more liquid and repeating this process over and over. A bucket with a drain hole could accomplish the same thing as the Magnasco patent applied to the purpose of the current invention. The inclusion of the ball valve in place of the float rods and seal members of Moore, Jr. would still not produce the desired purpose, function and task of the present apparatus.
Steam traps are disclosed in. U.S. Pat. No. 635,703 to St. Mary, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,304,562 to Hammell. Drain traps having float valves are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,764 to Biederman and U.S. Pat. No. 1,074,591 to Winarsky.
A diesel fuel separator is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,056 to Scragg, which is used to separate water from diesel fuel between the fuel tank and the fuel pump, the device including a inlet line within the fuel tank, the inlet to that line near the bottom of the fuel tank, such line being directed to a tube with a baffled inlet directing the fuel to the tube, around and through an element connected to a member, protruding into the top of a float, the element having holes to allow for passage of the fuel through the element. The float is further connected to a guide rod, which is connected to a cross member, which is slidably engaged with a pin, the pin engaging the seat of a second member which is located at the entrance of a discharge passage leading to an outlet where the water is discharged. Again, this device, in no way, could perform the same function as the current apparatus and include way too many elements defeating the simplicity of the current apparatus.
The apparatus has advantages and addresses the issues presented by prior art and processes. The apparatus and process requires nothing more than kinetic energy produced by the fluid flow for the basic apparatus to operate. The fluid is under constant pressure and motion as it travels through the apparatus, thereby reducing the possibility of the fluid or contaminants clogging or forming solid deposits within the vessel, the surge tank or any of the pipelines, meters, inlets or outlets. Fluid is measured without draining or opening the lines. With the float mechanism suspended within the fluid and in constant motion so long as a fluid flow is maintained in the apparatus and the ball seals on the upper and lower ends attaching in tandem on the float member prevents the ball seals from becoming stuck within the tapered interior seats. Short of a cataclysmic failure or damage to the entire float member, the apparatus cannot experience a seat or seal from opening or closing as the fluid volumes are constantly changed. Additionally, because the float member would be biased towards keeping the upper and lower outlets opened, due to the float member adjusted to be suspended between the upper and lower outlets, the fluid measurement is ongoing, thereby eliminating the need to guess, estimate of statistically deduce the fluid flow from the well, the meters conducting actual measurement of the fluid flow at a given moment, or a short or long period of time.
The primary objective of the invention is to provide a portable separating and measuring device for the separation of mixed fluids, primarily crude oil and water mixtures from an oil well pump, and a method for separating such mixed fluids.
A secondary objective of the invention is to provide the apparatus comprising essentially a vertically oriented cylindrical vessel with an interior, an upper outlet in a top end of the vessel, a lower outlet in a bottom of the vessel and a side inlet approximately midway along its vertical height, an adjustably buoyant tubular vertical float member located within the interior of the cylindrical vessel having a ball seal on each end of the vertical float, an upper tapered valve seat and lower tapered valve seat adapted to sealably engage the ball seal on the vertical float, the valve seats sealably engaging the upper outlet and lower outlet respectively, each valve seat further connected to a pipeline including a fluid flow measuring meter, wherein the heavier specific gravity fluid flows from the lower outlet where its volume is measured while the lighter specific gravity fluid is expelled through the upper outlet where its volume is also measured, the two fluid then sent on to a remote tank battery for storage.
Further objectives and advantages of the present invention, as well as descriptions of preferred embodiments will be more fully understood from the drawings and specific details and claims below.